Florida Congressman Darren Soto (D) released a statement slamming President Donald Trump’s plans to resume oil drilling off the coasts of Florida and California.
“This is a TERRIBLE idea in Florida! It would trash our environment, and hurt tourism and fishing, two top industries here,” Soto expressed in a statement. “I’m sure he’d be thrilled to see oil rigs right outside Mar-a-Lago.”
The Trump administration has sought to reopen the waters off the coast of California and off the Gulf Coast on the west side of Florida to oil and natural gas drilling.
The administration proposed a 5-year plan to allow for offshore oil and gas leasing, as well as including sales off the California coast, the eastern Gulf of Mexico, and the Arctic waters off of Alaska, including in an area of the High Arctic previously untouched by oil drilling.
The plan’s offering of new leases in California’s waters is allegedly designed to antagonize Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, a potential 2028 presidential contender who, in recent months, has softened his position on fossil fuel production.
However, Newsom has called the administration’s move to open new waters off the California coast to drilling “dead on arrival.”
In Florida, politicians on both sides have been vocal advocates for continuing the ban on oil drilling on the coasts, with some attempting to push bills to permanently ban the practice.
Former Senator Marco Rubio (R), in 2021, pushed the American Shores Protection Act, putting oil and gas drilling activities on hold in Florida, while former Governor Rick Scott, alongside Rubio, pushed back against the Trump administration's oil exploration considerations off the coast of Florida.
Today, however, the most vocal group of politicians for the continued halt on drilling in Florida has been Florida Democrats like Reps. Soto, Wasserman Schultz, Castor, Frost, etc.
